Cris Carter a Hall of Fame finalist for the 6th straight year

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has just announced its list of 15 modern-era finalists and for the sixth straight year it includes former Vikings receiver Cris Carter.

No other finalists with ties to the Vikings made it this year, meaning kicker and NFL career scoring leader Morten Andersen, whose 25-year, 2,544-point career included a one-year stint in Minnesota (2004), will have to wait until at least his second year of eligibility. Running back Roger Craig, whose 11-year career ended with two seasons in Minnesota (1992-93), also didn’t survive the cut from 27 modern-era semi-finalists.

Finalists in their first year of eligibility are Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, Cowboys guard Larry Allen and Ravens left tackle Jonathan Ogden.

In what continues to be a three-man logjam at receiver, Reed, Brown and Carter – outstanding players from the same era – are together on the ballot for the fourth straight year. Reed has been a finalist the past seven years, while this is Brown’s fourth straight year as a finalist.

The 15 finalists were chosen from 27 semi-finalists in a mail-in vote by the Hall’s 46-member selection committee. The committee will meet Feb. 2 in New Orleans to choose the Class of 2013. Two pre-1988 candidates chosen earlier by the Hall’s Seniors Committee – defensive tackle Curley Culp (Chiefs, Oilers, Lions) and linebacker Dave Robinson (Packers, Redskins) – also will be considered for enshrinement.

Culp and Robinson will be discussed and voted on first. Like the modern-era finalists, they must receive 80 percent of the vote to reach the Hall.

Next, the 15 modern-era finalists will be discussed. A vote will be taken to reduce that number to 10. After further discussion on those 10 candidates, another vote will be taken to reduce that number to five.

Only those five will be given a “yes” or “no” vote. A minimum of four and a maximum of seven can be selected.

Carter was a fourth-round pick of the Eagles in 1987. In three years with the Eagles, he had 19 touchdowns in 89 catches, a ratio (one TD per five catches) that once prompted then-Eagles coach Buddy Ryan to say, “All he does is catch touchdowns.”

Before the 1990 season, the Vikings spent the best $100 in franchise history when they put in a waiver claim on Carter. He played 12 seasons in Minnesota and part of one more in Miami before retiring.

Ten seasons after he retired, Carter still ranks fourth in NFL history in career catches (1,101), fourth in receiving touchdowns (130), eighth in total touchdowns (131) and ninth in receiving yards (13,899).